This is the EXACT Step-By-Step Process we used to generate over 4 million leads and more than $100 million in sales.
Better still, it’s a REPEATABLE system we were able to apply in market after market, successfully entering 23 different niches as diverse as Scrabble Tile Jewelry, Orchid Care, Memory Improvement, Business Consulting and Golf Instruction.
It’s also the system we have been fortunate enough to teach to more than 100,000 students, who have used this Blueprint to enter thousands of markets, all over the world.
The “Secret Sauce”
The real “Secret Sauce” of this List Building Blueprint is the combination of two under-utilized, but incredibly powerful, Psychological Triggers:
Micro-Commitments
World-renowned UCLA Behavioral Scientist, Dr Robert Maurer, found that any sort of change a person experiences, good or bad, is perceived as a threat by the brain and can stop them taking action. Therefore, the ideal way to avoid triggering that fear response is to make the perceived change so small that it is literally impossible for someone to fail at it. This, at its most basic level, is a micro-commitment – a small incremental step someone can take to move forward without feeling fear around their action.
Self-Discovery
Your List Building process will be highly attractive and magnetic if you can provide someone with an opportunity to learn something interesting about themselves.. This is because we all have an inbuilt desire for self-discovery. It doesn’t matter what you sell or what market you’re in…the favorite subject everyone wants to learn MORE about is… themselves.
One of the BEST ways to combine these two powerful (but often overlooked) triggers is through the use of:
• Quizzes
• Diagnostics
• Assessments
• Other question-based approaches that lead people through a series of microcommitments to an outcome that offers self discovery in the form of a diagnosis or another kind of self-awareness.
This is the basis for what we call, The ASK Method.
The ASK Method is like rocket fuel for your List Building because it not only gets a high number of people joining your list… it does so in a way that automatically segments those people, so you can send much more targeted and messages that solve their specific problems and are relevant to their specific needs.
When you can get this kind of strategic and automatic segmentation, you have the “List Building Trifecta”
1. People STAY on your list longer (say goodbye to high unsubscribes)
2. They actually WANT to get your emails (say hello to higher open rates)
3. And they’re more prepared to BUY what you are offering (finally!)
Throughout these pages you will not only learn how these Psychological Triggers can turn a simple quiz, assessment or diagnostic into into a List Building Machine using The ASK Method…you will also get the Step-By-Step Blueprint to apply this process to YOUR business.
Why Quizzes and Questions?
List Building is hard.
And getting harder.
With the convergence of paid traffic into two main sources (Googl e and Facebook) there is more competition than ever for the attention of your ideal cust omers, as advertisers flock to these platforms.
You MUST do something different to stand out.
And because they provide that unique combination of micro-commitments and self discovery, Quizzes, Diagnostics and Question-based List Building Funnels are your ideal way to stand out, attract attention and get more qualified prosp ects opting in to your list.
Many of the brands with the biggest lists on the planet use this approach.
Think Strengthsfinder (7 million people have taken the Strengthsfinder quiz), Proactive (more than 20 million people have take the Proactiv Skin Quiz) and RealAge (more than 40 million people have taken the RealAge Test).
How To Use This Blueprint
This Blueprint has been divided into four sections:
1. Mindmap
Gives you a big-picture visual overview of the thinking behind the blueprint, including the central ideas and related branches of information.
2. Mindmap Written Description
A brief written explanation of the key ideas outlined in the Mindmap.
3. Funnel Diagram
Steps you through the chronological sequence your List Building process can follow by providing 3 examples of List Building Funnels.
4. Questions & Next Steps
Helpful answers to frequently asked questions and what you can do to get more help creating your own List Building Funnel using The ASK Method.
List Building Blueprint Mindmap
Use this Mindmap as a visual overview of your List Building approach following the 3 core ASK Method stages: Discover, Segment, Launch.
ASK METHOD
1. Discover
Find out what people want
2. Segment
Give people what they want
3. Launch
Reach more people and scale
1. Discover
Find out what people want
Your Discovery Starting Point
1. New Market
2. Existing Market
3. New Product
4. Existing Product
Deep Dive Survey
Language Patterns
Enter the conversation going on in your prospect’s mind
Segments
Identify your 3-5 most important groups of people in your market
Discover Key Insights
Demographic & Psychographic Analysis
dimensionalize your perfect avatar
Product Demand
what to launch next?
Unique Language
for use in copy
2. Segment
Give people what they want
Create Your Segments
Pure vs Perceived
4 Ways to Segment – 1. Journey, 2. Challenge, 3. Situation, 4. Hybrid
The 4 Psychological Triggers
Micro-Commitments
Self-Discovery
Curiosity
Desire
Your Funnel Structure
Welcome Page
Segmentation Questions
Lead Capture Page
Outcome Page
3. Launch
Reach more people and scale
Traffic
Buy Leads Mindset
Narrow + Deep
Two Primary Sources – 1. Facebook, 2. Google Adwords
ROAS %
Optimization
Conversion Benchmarks – 1. CTR %, 2. Conversion %, 3. Opt-in %, 4. Completion %
Split Testing Framework
Analytics to Pay Attention to
5 Ways to Scale
Funnel Stacking
Traffic Expansion
Going Deep
Rinse & Repeat
The 3 R’s
4. Tools & Resources
Funnel Design
Lucidchart
Google Docs
Landing Page/Quiz
Funnel Software
Email Service Providers
Infusionsoft
Aweber
GetResponse
Mailchimp
ActiveCampaign
Ontraport
Analytics, Tracking, Split Testing
Google Analytics
Wicked Reports
Visual Website Optimizer
Google Docs
Hotjar
Mindmap Written Description
Here is a brief explanation of the KEY ideas in the Mindmap you need to understand in order to implement your List Building Funnel.
This is the preparation part of the process. Where you learn about your market through SURVEYS.
The ASK Method is all about asking your market the right questions to figure out exactly what they want to buy, and exactly how to sell it to them… BEFORE you finalize your products, ads and web pages.
This gives you a huge advantage because you’re no longer guessing what your customers want…now you know what they want…
Language Patterns
What specific language is your market using? You may be turning people off with your message simply because you are using one word instead of another. When you can speak the language of your market you will get more attention, more trust and attract more people to your list.
Segments
You may have your most profitable markets hiding in plain site. Use your survey data to identify your 3-5 most important groups of people in your market to target and add to your list.
Avatar
The Discover phase helps you understand WHO your ideal client is and how they think. By gaining this understanding your traffic strategies will be more e ffective; you will grow your list faster and more cost effectively; and your ad copy, emails and other marketing will virtually “write itself” as you use the language of your Avatar.
Mindmap Written Description
Once you have discovered your most important customer groups in the Discover phase, now you can hyper-target each segment, and massively grow your list using the winning combination of micro-commitments and selfdiscovery in the form of quizzes, assessments, diagnostics and other question-based funnels.
Segmentation funnels & quizzes are the fastest and most reliable way to generate leads and build a massive email list inexpensively.
You can generate leads on Facebook & Google at a fraction of th e cost. Plus, quizzes are hugely attractive and and extremely shareable – which means they can go – taking your list building to the next level.
The 4 Psychological Triggers
There are 4 specific Psychological Triggers you can activate to get more people joining your list:
1. Micro-commitments (small, incremental steps that fly under the “ fear” radar)
2. Self-Discovery (innate human desire people have to learn about themselves)
3. Curiosity (quizzes and other questions create powerful “open loops” people want to close, which move them forward, opting in to your list)
4. Desire (once people know Self-Discovery is possible you tap into powerful innate desires that motivate people to join your list)
When you use a quiz, assessment or other question-based funnel, you tap into these powerful triggers
Mindmap Written Description
Once you have completed the Discover and Segment phase you have a List Building Machine ready to drive leads and grow your database.
It is at this point you are ready to ramp things up, by driving as much traffic as you can to your funnels.
Traffic
Buy Leads Mindset
My List Building Blueprint has a very specific mindset. I call i t the “Buy Leads Mindset”. And this approach has helped me generate tens of thousands of leads PER DAY at times.
When you have a high converting funnel, it’s like having a beautiful designed and powerful sports car. And to make it go, you need to add fuel. Buying tra ffic gives you that fuel and accelerates your growth.
Narrow & Deep
In addition to your “Buy Leads Mindset” you want to focus narrow and deep when it comes to your traffic sources. Instead of spreading your attentio n and resources thin over multiple lead sources, you want to focus on two very specific ch annels where you can get the most leverage.
Two Primary Sources
The two primary sources you want to go “Narrow & Deep” into whe n it comes to buying leads are Facebook and Google. Between these two platforms you can reach the majority of your market. In fact, Facebook and Google account f or more than 50% of ALL advertising spend, worldwide. By focusing on these two powerhouses you can grow your list quickly and inexpensively, when you have the right List Building Blueprint in place.
Mindmap Written Description
Get the right resources for the job
There are a range of tools you can use to implement your List Building Blueprint.
Two of the most important resources are your Landing Page and Quiz Building Software and your Email Service Provider.
Landing Page / Quiz Software
When I first started, I used to have to piece together several d ifferent tools in a “patchwork” fashion to get my list building funnels working. But now there is ONE tool that will do EVERYTHING I need – from creating my Welcome Page through to complex quiz and assessment capability, hyper-targeted re-marketing and analytics.
ESP Software
There are several great email service providers in the market and some of those resources have been listed in the earlier mindmap. You need to find the software that matches your level of need and your budget.
Funnel Diagram
Here are 3 examples of how you can structure your List Building Funnel to combine Micro-Commitments and Self-Discovery for maximum impact and growth:
Example 1 – Simple Segmentation
Your List Building Funnel does not have to be a complex quiz. I t can be a simple funnel that asks one primary Segmentation Question prior to Lead Capture.
Example 2 – Branching List Building Funnel
The Branching List Building Funnel allows you to run an engagin g survey, quiz or diagnostic, asking different questions to different segments of y our market. This is particularly useful if you need to collect different data points depending on the specific segment someone belongs to.
It does this by letting you split (or branch) different users on to different paths, based on their answers to previous questions. This means you can ask more relevant and specific questions based on the path each user takes AND offer different Lead Capture and Outcome Pages to different users based on their results.
Example 3 – Quiz List Building Funnel
The Quiz List Building Funnel allows you to ask a series of qui z-related questions, each one accumulating a score or determining the outcome.
Based on a user’s unique score, they will see one of a predetermined set of Lead Capture and Outcome Pages. This is the basis for all of the popular quizzes currently online. There are more advanced quiz features using Branching Logic (where different questions show based on previous
answers) and Skip Logic (where certain questions can be skipped based on previous answers), however this Quiz List Building Funnel gives you a good foundation to start from.
Description of Steps Featured in the List Building Funnel Examples
Welcome Page
Your Welcome Page is optional (you can skip this page and send traffic directly to your Segmentation Question from your Facebook/Google Adwords ads). If you decide to have a Welcome Page, it acts as your Landing Page from whatever external traffic source you are using and it restates your Ethical Bribe (which is, ideally, one of our top 3 recommended
Ethical Bribe formats – Mindmap, Just Pay Shipping Offer or Quiz).
Segmentation Question
This is a question that offers multiple answer options, of which people may only select the one that is most relevant to them.
Once a person has answered this question you now know which of your pre-determined segments they below to and you can tailor the rest of your funnel, or your follow up email sequences, to that segment (for example, if your segments were “beginner”, “intermediate” or “advanced” you could send different content to each group specifically related to their skill level).
Branching Question
This is a question where the answer will change the course a person takes through the rest of your List Building Funnel. For example, if one person answers they are a “Beginner” golfer they will see a different next question to someone who answered that same question that they were an “Expert” golfer.
Quiz Questions
These are questions specifically related to a quiz that help determine the score or outcome a person will see at the end of the process.
Supplementary Questions
Using path-specific Supplementary Questions makes your users feel that you’re truly listening to their needs, making the process engaging and interactive. This typically results in higher conversions and properly segmented and tagged leads in your CRM. Supplementary Questions also allow you to build laser-targeted audiences by integrating Facebook and
Google Analytics within your funnel.
Lead Capture Page
This is where you ask people to provide their details and optin to take the next step with you. At this point you are MOST at risk of losing someone from your List-Building Funnel, so you want to make it as compelling as possible and ask for as little information as possible.
You can do this with
• Problem/solution Headline
• Reminder of the Ethical Bribe
• Request minimal data (suggest you ask for email address only)
• Prominent clickable button
Outcome Page
This is where you show people the outcome of the List Building Funnel Process they have just been through. In the case of a quiz, this would be the page where a person received their results. You can have one Outcome Page or multiple Outcome Pages per List Building Funnel. A funnel with multiple Outcome Pages can provide a more customized “diagnosis” of a person’s needs/problems and recommend more specific next steps.
Questions & Next Steps
Here are some Frequently Asked Questions relating to the List B uilding Blueprint:
How many questions and what order should my questions be in?
There is a science to the question order and process. In addition to ensuring each question is a micro-commitment that will lead to a degree of self-discovery for the user, there are some questions that are more important than others. For example , the Segmentation Question is an essential question.
This technology sounds complicated. How can I implement some of the more complex functionality, like Branching?
When I first started creating List-Building Funnels, I had to pa tch together a bunch of different tools and it WAS difficult (and expensive!). Now, there is one software tool that does the entire process for you, all in one easy-to-use interface. Everything from landing pages and surveys to complex quizzes and analytics.
Won’t my conversion rates go down if I add more steps?
It’s a widely held belief that adding steps to your online lead acquisition process will result in lower conversions. However, the List Building Blueprint challenges that idea. Having done dozens of split tests in 23 different markets, I have found that adding incremental micro-commitment questions into your List Building funnel can actually INCREASE optins. And then you have highly engaged, segmented leads you can serve at a much deeper level on your list… and get more sales.
What should I say in my Facebook ads?
A key part of The ASK Method is the initial survey known as your Deep Dive Survey. This process, when done correctly, will give you all the information you need regarding the hook for your Facebook ad, what kind of images to use and what language to include.